The present invention relates to the field of non-Newtonian liquid hydrocarbon purification and separation, more specifically, an accessory configured for use in removing poisonous metalloids from crude oil.
Depending on the origin of the crude oil in the earth's crust, crude oil can contain poisonous metalloids such as arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and bismuth (Bi). Of these three metalloids, arsenic is more common and is found in the crude oil pumped from fractured shale deposits. Arsenic contaminated crude oil is also found in crude oil deposits that have co-mingled with coal seams in the earth's crust. Many coal seams contain arsenic and at times may contain antimony and bismuth. All the three metalloids belong to Group VA (Column 15) in the periodic table of elements. They all have toxic effects on human body.
If not removed below the level of 1 ppm, the crude oil containing the metalloids builds up on the catalyst bed and poisons the catalyst during refining operations. The poisoned catalyst bed must be replaced with a new bed to maintain the product quality. Losing a catalyst bed before its due time causes a financial hardship to refining operations and affects the bottom line.
Clearly, the refiners need an inexpensive and easy to use process to remove the poison metalloids from the crude oil.